“homemade” wheel repairs

… “I began the ascending of the mountain feeling jubilant, as the fording of this river had been a terror to me ever since leaving Eureka. About two miles from the river I met the mail stage, a heavy two-horse wagon. I was ascending. It was not a bad place to pass and I gave him right of way.

“The driver sang out for the road and stopped. I told him he had ample room to pass. He had but two passengers aboard. The driver said that he ‘would teach me to get out of the way for the mail driver.’ With that he started up and came down on the rear wheel of my carriage, crushing it down.

“He did not stop to see what damage he had done, but went on his own way. I was vexed and felt badly, being all alone.

“Soon after, the man I left at the river came up; and seeing what a fix I was in, assisted me in placing my wheel back into shape, and then put my things on his wagon; we went on until we came to a sheep ranch. Here I remained two days to make necessary repairs. There was no wheelwright shop for sixteen miles. Having some tools with me, such as an axe, saw, and square, I got some timber, sawing it into splints, length of the diameter of my wheel, and lashing them to the spokes of the wheel, tied them down so as to keep the disc of the wheel in its proper place.